Jeremy Irons – Beautiful Creatures, Henry IV Part One, The Kingdom of Heaven, Being
Julia, The Merchant of Venice, Longitude, The House of the Spirits, Waterland,
Kafka, Reversal of Fortune, The French Lieutenant’s Woman

This is the first Shakespeare play we
saw performed on stage in English. It was in London in 2008 and we were
enthralled. We didn’t understand so much but it was an unforgettable
experience.

Somehow, though, much of the play
itself is forgettable and though the cast put a lot of pathos into their parts
and the settings are handsome it’s difficult for me to get involved.

With that said, it’s still a very
good film. Again Hiddleston and Irons give masterly performances. Even Beale
makes one pity Falstaff for being old and pathetic.

As often with Shakespeare plays it
gets stronger and pulls together in the end. The ‘I know thee not, old man’
scene is very well done. The hoodlum Hal is now king and the boisterous and
self-serving Falstaff is rejected.